Written Answers Monday 28 November 2005

Scottish Executive

Advocacy Services

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding each NHS board has allocated to the provision of independent advocacy services, as recommended by the Millan Commission.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Care of Elderly People

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans NHS Greater Glasgow has to improve standards where the criteria set out in the North and South Glasgow local reports on older people in acute care were not met.

Lewis Macdonald: NHS boards are expected to implement NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s standards and monitor adherence through their clinical governance structures. NHSScotland is held to account through the assessment visits that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland undertakes. NHS Greater Glasgow have assured us that both North and South Glasgow divisions have developed action plans through which they are actively addressing the standards identified as not achieved in the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s February 2004 report.

Care of Elderly People

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to improve standards where the criteria set out in NHS Quality Improvement Scotland - Older People in Acute Care were not met.

Lewis Macdonald: NHS boards are expected to implement NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s standards and monitor adherence through their clinical governance structures. NHSScotland is held to account through the assessment visits that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland undertakes.

Enterprise

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is in favour of establishing Business Improvement Districts.

Mr Tom McCabe: We said in Partnership for a Better Scotland that we would work with local authorities to establish Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). We have done that. Following extensive consultation with business and local authorities, we announced in June 2005 that all the recommendations of a working group set up to consider the way forward for BIDs had been accepted. One of those recommendations was to establish pilot BID areas, and work on that front is now well underway.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which environmental organisations it funds, showing (a) the amount of funding in each case and (b) whether each organisation is wholly or part-funded by the Executive.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has offered the following funding in 2005-06 to support core or developmental work:

  Forward Scotland - £381,389

  Scottish Environment LINK - £25,000

  Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society - £16,500

  National Society for Clean Air - £8,000.

  In addition the Executive provides grants for projects to a number of organisations which could be described as environmental or have environmental concerns. Information on current funding for projects is on the Executive’s website www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/17108/7457.

Equal Opportunities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to broaden awareness of the housing and support needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and whether it will adopt a recommendation contained in the report by Organisational Development and Support (ODS) and Stonewall Scotland calling on Communities Scotland and other partners to publish guidance for LGBT people on this issue.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities in respect of the provision of housing for people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in each year since 2002.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Communities Scotland has published two pieces of guidance following recommendations from the research published by ODS and Stonewall. These comprise a guide for older LGBT people, as well as a good practice checklist for housing providers. Both were launched with the research report in Glasgow on 1 June 2005. This material has been welcomed by groups active in this field.

  Copies of the guidance has been disseminated to local authorities, housing associations and housing support providers and the older people’s guidance has been disseminated through user groups and at events throughout the summer including the Pride Marches in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Equal Opportunities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors support services provided by the public sector for people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Malcolm Chisholm: As this information is neither collected or collated centrally the Scottish Executive does not monitor support services for people from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

External Relations

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, and intends to take, to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Canada to invest in the Scottish economy.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive intends to engage with and mobilise the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.

  Scottish Development International (SDI) is already highly active in the North American market, with a presence which covers all the Canadian provinces and which supports both the trade and inward investment agendas in a way that is knowledge driven and highly integrated. The Executive will work closely with SDI, where appropriate, to further Scottish interests including encouraging inward investment.

External Relations

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Canada to contribute to reducing the skills shortage in Scotland.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive intends to engage with and mobilise the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.

  We will encourage Canadians, through marketing and promotional activities, to find out about living and working in Scotland by going to www.scotlandistheplace.com and contacting the Relocation Advisory Service if they have specific enquiries. We also use case studies of Canadians who are already in Scotland- for study or work purposes- to help us showcase what Scotland has to offer.

External Relations

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Canada back to Scotland to live and to help reverse the population decline.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive intends to engage with, and mobilise, the diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.

  During the First Minister’s recent visit to Canada, he hosted two events (one in Toronto and one in Guelph) for over 600 people including members of the diaspora. To coincide with the visit, a supplement containing features on contemporary Scotland was distributed in the Toronto Globe and Mail, which has a circulation of over 360,000.

  The First Minister’s visit marked the beginning of a long-term engagement with the Canadian diaspora to showcase what 21st century Scotland has to offer and to encourage some of these bright, talented people to come here to live and work.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite representatives from the Mallaig and North-West Fishermen’s Association and the West of Scotland Fish Producers’ Organisation to act as informal advisers to assist it in impending negotiations in Brussels in respect of next year’s west of Scotland nephrops Total Allowable Catch.

Ross Finnie: I met with Mallaig and North West Fishermens Association on 10 August 2005 to discuss this year’s December Council. The association was also represented at my meeting with stakeholders in Inverness on 1 September 2005 and at a number of preparatory meetings held at official level. If the association is in Brussels for the December Council then I will be happy to speak to them alongside the other representatives who will be there.

Fuel Poverty

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission research into the likely impact on fuel poverty levels and the number of households affected by fuel poverty of the electricity and gas price increases announced by energy providers throughout 2005.

Malcolm Chisholm: The impact of price rises on fuel poverty depends on a number of factors including the energy efficiency of the home and household income. The Fuel Poverty in Scotland Report for the Scottish House Condition Survey estimates that an across the board rise of 5% would increase the number of fuel poor households by 30,000, assuming that incomes and household energy efficiency remains unchanged. We will review the case for further research into various aspects of fuel poverty in the context of decisions on the future of our central heating and warm deal programmes.

H5N1 Influenza

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of any unavoidable financial loss experienced by caged bird clubs and other similar organisations following the decision to cancel shows of caged birds from 27 October 2005 in order to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

Ross Finnie: The introduction of the ban on bird gatherings was in response to a European Commission decision. Given the precautionary approach being taken to minimise the risk of avian influenza spreading across Europe and the timescale presented by EU deadlines, no assessment was made. We have been grateful for the support of the organisers of many events, particularly the number of people who took voluntary decisions to cancel forthcoming events in advance of the legislation coming into force.

H5N1 Influenza

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20320 by Mr Andy Kerr on 14 November 2005, whether the tendering process will be completed and contracts agreed before a pandemic flu virus is identified and a vaccine is possible and whether the award of the contracts will not depend on whether such a pandemic flu virus emerges.

Mr Andy Kerr: As it is not known when a pandemic virus will emerge the Scottish Executive is not in a position to confirm if the tendering process will be completed and contracts agreed in advance.

  However, the process has started. Department of Health, on behalf of the UK Health Departments expect to receive expressions of interest later this month and returns in the early part of next year.

  The award of the contract is not dependent on whether a pandemic influenza virus emerges or not.

H5N1 Influenza

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20320 by Mr Andy Kerr on 14 November 2005, whether monies paid to successful bidders will be dependent on the emergence of a pandemic flu virus or whether monies will be paid whether or not such a virus emerges.

Mr Andy Kerr: Monies will be paid under the terms and conditions of the contract.

H5N1 Influenza

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20321 by Mr Andy Kerr on 14 November 2005, whether all contracts being negotiated by the NHS solely relate to H5N1, a virus not transmitted from human to human and not likely to lead to a human flu pandemic.

Mr Andy Kerr: Department of Health, on behalf of the UK Health Departments, plan to shortly award the contract for the H5N1 vaccine based on the virus strain currently circulating in poultry in south east Asia and elsewhere. A pandemic influenza vaccine cannot be manufactured until the exact influenza strain is known. A tender has been issued for the procurement of a pandemic vaccine when it is available.

Housing

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997 and, in particular, whether Class 9 should be amended in order that all premises subject to Housing in Multiple Occupation regulations should also require planning permission.

Johann Lamont: We have no plans at present to review the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997.

Income

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have had below average incomes in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not available.

  The official source of low income data for Scotland is the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset available from 1994-95. This is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The sample size of the FRS in Scotland is relatively small and can only be used to provide information for Scotland as a whole.

  The following link provides the latest low income headline figures for Scotland (2003-04), together with data for previous years. This was published on 30 March 2005: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/29170611/06123.

International Development

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which projects have been successful in applying for funding from its International Development Fund and how much funding each project will receive.

Patricia Ferguson: Details of the projects which have received funding from the first round of the International Development Fund are available on the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/news/releases/2005/11/04144130 .

  In total, £4.3 million over the next three years has been awarded for work in sub-Saharan Africa and Sri Lanka.

International Development

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for funding from its International Development Fund have been rejected.

Patricia Ferguson: One hundred and two applications were received in the first funding round. Of these, 38 were accepted on to the second stage of the application process. Two projects withdrew at this stage, and of the 36 second stage applications received, 33 were approved for funding. As a result, funding of £4.3 million over the next three years has been committed for sub-Saharan Africa and Sri Lanka.

International Development

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to assess the concept notes which comprise the first stage of bidding for funding from its International Development Fund.

Patricia Ferguson: Concept notes were assessed against the criteria published on our website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/internationaldevelopment/fundingguidance .

  These decisions were also reviewed by our expert group, which was established to provide expert advice to ministers.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-20244 and S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005 and given that experts in the Aberdeen and Edinburgh offices of the Scottish Fingerprint Service (SFS) disagreed with colleagues in the Glasgow office about the identification of a mark in the case of Shirley McKie, what steps it is taking to ensure that (a) miscarriages of justice do not occur and (b) all fingerprint identifications by the SFS given in Scottish courts will be accompanied by information on any different approaches to the scientific basis of fingerprint identification which currently exist within the SFS.

Cathy Jamieson: Criminal trials in Scotland are conducted in open court where the evidence that is led by the prosecution is open to challenge by the defence.

  The Scottish Fingerprint Service has a consistent approach to fingerprint identification which is followed by all fingerprint officers. It is based on the scientific process of Assess, Compare, Evaluation and Verify (ACE-V) under which each identification made by a fingerprint expert is independently verified by two other fingerprint experts. The process of ACE-V is in world-wide use by fingerprint professionals and criminal justice agencies.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, what information it is able to provide on whether there have been any other incidents of disagreements involving Lothian and Borders Police fingerprint staff.

Cathy Jamieson: We are not aware of any other incidents of disagreements involving Lothian and Borders Police fingerprint staff.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-20244 and S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, whether at any time in the last 10 years any experts from outwith the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) have disagreed with any of the SCRO’s fingerprint identifications other than those referred to in the answers.

Cathy Jamieson: In October 2003, two fingerprint officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Mr Allan Bayle (a former fingerprint officer with the Metropolitan Police Service) reached a different conclusion from fingerprint officers based in the Scottish Fingerprint Service Glasgow Bureau about a mark found at the scene of a crime.

  The Crown did not use fingerprint evidence when the case came to trial.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it is able to provide on the persons tasked with preparing responses to questions in respect of fingerprint issues raised by members of the Parliament; what their positions are; what fingerprint experience they have; whether they have been involved with any cases involving the identification of fingerprints and, if so, what that involvement was.

Cathy Jamieson: Answers are prepared by Scottish Executive civil servants who take advice from senior managers in the Scottish Criminal Record Office.

Legal Services

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive why it is necessary for it to outsource legal work.

Colin Boyd QC: Work is outsourced in a number of areas requiring expertise available only externally or to provide a resource not otherwise available. Legal work is one such area.

Legal Services

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive why its expenditure on outsourced legal work to 12 private sector law firms has increased from £159,000 in 2001-02 to £2,033,000 in 2004-05.

Colin Boyd QC: A Framework contract for legal services was put in place in June 2003, creating a panel of 12 firms able to take on specific projects or areas of legal work where in-house expertise or resource was unavailable. The framework provides a robust two-stage procurement process to secure value for money for individual outsourced projects or areas of work. The rise in expenditure on outsourced work reflects the greater demand for legal services experienced in recent years, including work on primary and secondary legislation for consideration by the Scottish Parliament.

Mental Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has made any recommendations for any particular drugs not to be used for the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder on the NHS.

Lewis Macdonald: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has made no recommendation on this condition.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that people with mental health problems, who are not working, are given the opportunity to participate in a social enterprise.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive recognises the important role that the social economy sector plays in providing training and employment opportunities for people, particularly those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. A number of social economy organisations provide work opportunities for people with mental health problems which help support their employment aspirations.

  The £18 million investment in Futurebuilders Scotland, delivered by Communities Scotland for the Scottish Executive, demonstrates the Executive’s on-going commitment to the overall development of the social economy in Scotland. The Scottish Executive will continue to highlight the importance of the role of the social economy by promoting the social economy sector as a training provider and employer for people with a range of needs, including those people with mental health problems.

NHS Waiting Times

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16185 by Mr Andy Kerr on 5 May 2005, when the diagnostic waiting time standards that NHS boards will have to meet will be published.

Mr Andy Kerr: On 21 June 2005, I announced a maximum nine-weeks waiting time for eight key diagnostic tests – MRI, CT, ultrasound and barium scans, upper endoscopy, cystoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. This commitment, which will come into effect from the end of 2007, is supported by an investment of £50 million.

  Meantime, NHS boards are working to reduce diagnostic waiting times for patients through service redesign, investment in capacity and more efficient working to ensure that the target is met. Many NHS boards are making use of the MRI and CT scanning services provided by the Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

National Health Service

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19220 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 September 2005, how many members of staff, broken down by role, are available before and after midnight at each NHS Greater Glasgow out-of-hours centre to determine whether a patient’s clinical condition has changed between the time the patient contacted NHS 24 and the time the patient arrived at the centre and to decide, as a result, how quickly the patient needs to be seen.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following tables show a breakdown of staffing before and after midnight at each Out-of-Hours Centre in Greater Glasgow. The information provided was supplied by the Greater Glasgow NHS Board.

  Greater Glasgow Out-of-Hours Centres: Staffing Before Midnight

  

 Out-of-Hours Centre
 GPs
 Mobile GPs
 Nurses
Emergency
Nurse
Practitioners
 Receptionists
 Patient 
Transport 
Drivers
 Home 
Visiting 
Drivers
 Control 
Staff
 Security 
Officers
 Total


 Cardonald
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Drumchapel
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Lightburn
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Stobhill
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Victoria 
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Western
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 4


 Total
 6
 51
 6
 102
 6
 53
 53
 33
 6
 52



  Notes:

  1. The five mobile GPs are a dedicated home visits team working across the six out-of-hours centres.

  2. The ten emergency nurse practitioners work across the six out-of-hours centres to provide a minor illness service.

  3. Control staff, patient transport and home visiting drivers work across the six out-of-hours centres.

  Greater Glasgow Out-of-Hours Centres: Staffing After Midnight1

  

 Out-of-Hours 
Centre
 GPs
 Mobile 
GPs
 Nurses
Emergency 
Nurse 
Practitioners
 Receptionists
 Patient 
Transport 
Drivers
 Home 
Visiting
Drivers
 Control 
Staff
 Security 
Officers
 Total


 Stobhill
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 3


 Victoria 
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 3


 Total
 2
 3 2
 -
 -
 2
 33
 33
 23
 2
 17



  Notes:

  1. After midnight, due to the reduced level of demand, services are provided at Stobhill Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary only.

  2. The three mobile GPs are a dedicated home visits team working across the two out-of-hours centres.

  3. Control staff, patient transport and home visiting drivers work across the two out-of-hours centres.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) have had independent auditors and consultants brought in by the Executive to scrutinise datasets generated by the NDPBs in each year since 2002.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally. All statutory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are subject to scrutiny by the Auditor General for Scotland (AGS). The use of consultants by NDPBs is a matter for individual bodies to consider within their delegated financial limits.

Nursing

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of maternity pay for student nurses and when it will make an announcement on the issue.

Mr Andy Kerr: I am considering this matter and will take a decision in the near future.

Social Economy

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its expenditure has been on the creation and support of social enterprises in the last three years, broken down by departmental portfolio.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not collected centrally.

Student Finance

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that mature students, over the age of 25, should be able to access all student discounts in relation to travel subsidies.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive provides help with travel costs for mature students under further and higher education funding. Student discounts for travel are commercial decisions made by travel operators at their discretion.

Telecommunications

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for its overturning a decision by Highland Council to refuse planning permission for a Hutchison 3G telephone mast in King Brude Road, Inverness.

Malcolm Chisholm: The reporter appointed to determine this case explained the reasons for allowing the appeal in his decision letter dated 2 November 2005. A copy of this letter was sent to Mr Munro on that date.

Tourism

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to promote Scotland as a country to visit, if not to live in, to help boost the economy.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland promotes Scotland as a great country to visit both within the UK and overseas. VisitScotland’s marketing strategy shows clear benefits to the Scottish economy with figures for the first half of 2005 showing an increase of 57% in the number of visitors from overseas compared to the comparative period for last year. Each £1 spent by VisitScotland on its pan-European marketing campaign last year resulted in £23 of additional tourism revenues spent in Scotland. The Scottish Executive remains committed to working in partnership with the tourism industry as it strives to achieve the ambition of increasing tourism revenues by 50% over the next decade.

Voluntary Sector

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation has been carried out with voluntary organisations in respect of the Executive owning the intellectual property rights of material related to projects to which it contributes a grant or other financial support and what agreement has been reached on this issue.

Malcolm Chisholm: On behalf of the voluntary sector, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) helped develop a standard set of conditions containing the clause on intellectual property rights that will be attached to future grant offers made to the voluntary sector by the Scottish Executive. The SCVO input to the process was informed by a range of voluntary organisations it consulted for views.

Voluntary Sector

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of providing funding for projects which have proved to be successful but require additional support to build on their achievements after their initial funding has been spent.

Malcolm Chisholm: Many voluntary organisations benefit from continued long-term funding from Scottish Executive grant schemes. Before a decision is taken to renew funding, account is taken of the organisation’s performance with its previous grant and the success and impact of its work. More generally, each request for grant funding is considered on merit, taking account of the quality of the application, whether the proposed work programme helps deliver policy objectives, ministerial priorities, the level of resources available for distribution and competing demand.

Voluntary Sector

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to monitor and review its effectiveness in respect of the Scottish Compact with voluntary organisations.

Malcolm Chisholm: In 2004 the Scottish Executive commissioned the consultancy firm GEN Consulting to monitor the effectiveness of the Scottish Compact. Work involved establishing a baseline of data on awareness of and compliance with the Compact by Scottish Executive Departments, non-departmental public bodies and agencies through questionnaires. The findings of the baseline research were published in 2005 and can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20869/54775

  A follow-up survey will be carried out in due course.

Vulnerable Adults Bill

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that people with a communication impairment benefit equally from the provisions of the proposed Vulnerable Adults Bill.

Lewis Macdonald: The definition of a vulnerable adult in the proposed bill would be sufficiently broad to encompass those with a communication impairment who may need protection from harm.

  It is also intended that the Vulnerable Adults Bill will contain key guiding principles to ensure any intervention is both necessary and proportionate to the needs and circumstances of each individual.

  In implementing this legislation, Scottish ministers and local authorities will be subject, as in all their duties, to the Disability Discrimination Act.

Waste Management

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for reduction of waste to landfill and what actions are being taken to meet these targets.

Ross Finnie: The EU Landfill Directive sets targets for the UK to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill to:

  75% of 1995 levels by 2010

  50% of 1995 levels by 2013

  35% of 1995 levels by 2020.

  The National Waste Plan 2003 set an interim target to reduce landfill of biodegradable municipal waste to 1.5 million tonnes by 2006.

  The Landfill Allowance Scheme sets limits for individual authorities to meet these targets, by limiting their landfill of biodegradable municipal waste to their holding of landfill allowances. A total of 1.5 million tonnes of allowances has been issued for the 2006-07 scheme year. The total tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste which will be allowed to be landfilled in Directive target years are:

  1.32 million tonnes in 2009-10

  0.88 million tonnes in 2012-13

  0.62 million tonnes in 2019-20.

  In order to meet these targets local authorities have been awarded over £329 million to 2007-08 through the Strategic Waste Fund to implement recycling and composting schemes. Indicative awards totalling nearly £1 billion to 2020 have also been made. Further bids to the fund are requested from all local authorities by the end of January 2006 showing how they propose to divert waste from landfill.